"Pioneer of Development"

Urban and Regional Planning

DEPARTMENT OF CITY AND REGIONAL PLANNING 

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ABOUT US

Cities, considered the driving force of societies in cultural, social, and economic terms, remain centers of learning and development, just as they were in the past. On the other hand, housing a significant portion of the world's growing population has brought cities face-to-face with diverse problems. In this sense, cities are living organisms that need to be managed correctly and effectively, both in terms of the potential they hold in terms of social dynamics and the problems they create.

Another issue that the increasing urban population has brought to the agenda of all countries, along with cities, is rural settlements. Rural settlements, which have gained importance in recent years, especially in terms of food supply/security and the sustainability of natural resources, are areas that need to be addressed with as much sensitivity as cities, as they are the lifeblood of cities.

Our department, which started its education within Selçuk University in 1994, has continued its activities under the umbrella of the Faculty of Architecture and Design at Konya Technical University since 2018. Our department, which conducted its educational activities with limited resources in its early years, has gained access to diverse opportunities in both quantity and quality over time and is a planning school with over 25 years of institutional experience. The historical identity of Konya, a city whose connections to important centers of the country have been strengthened by transportation investments in recent years, and the planning efforts carried out since the 1960s, which have transformed Konya into a "planned city," significantly contribute to our educational activities. Furthermore, the Erasmus, Mevlana, and Farabi exchange programs, as well as the opportunity to pursue double majors and minors, are elements that support our students' professional development.

The professional education conducted in our department consists of theoretical and practical courses. Information on different fields such as urban design, urban conservation, urban sociology, urban history, urban transportation, urban economics, regional planning, urban management, strategic planning, zoning law, implementation and supervision of plans, planning for people with disabilities, geographic information systems, and tourism planning is learned within the scope of theoretical courses; this information is transformed into concrete products with plans developed at regional and local scales within the scope of planning studio courses. As can be understood from the subjects on which the professional education process is based, city and regional planning; Urban and Regional Planning is a professional field closely related to many areas such as architecture, engineering, economics, and sociology, and provides opportunities for interdisciplinary work.

Our Department's Mission:

The essence of Urban and Regional Planning education is to train visionary professionals who are knowledgeable in producing plans, projects, and policies that guide the future of settlements with the goal of ensuring livable and sustainable development by analyzing human, natural, cultural, and economic data related to urban and rural settlements; who can perceive the city and region holistically and relationally; who can develop alternative solutions to these relationships; and who keep pace with the innovations of the age. Planning education also has an important mission in raising awareness about managing the pressure that settlements exert on natural resources, ensuring access to safe food and basic resources, and protecting historical and cultural values ​​as the common heritage of humanity, in addition to the physical/spatial development of living spaces. Furthermore, an educational approach that follows technological developments and innovations and emphasizes the critical evaluation of the relationship between legal and administrative frameworks and theoretical knowledge is adopted. The aim is to strengthen the role of the department as a key actor in creating an effective communication corridor between the private and public sectors, sharing their experiences with the university and the university's theoretical knowledge with the private and public sectors.

Our Department's Vision:

To train professionals who can develop diverse projects and ideas with a focus on creating sustainable and livable environments, who possess sufficient knowledge to produce resilient social and spatial solutions to natural, social, political, and economic crises encountered on a global scale, and who value ethical principles; to be a productive and preferred department in both undergraduate and graduate fields in an academic context; and to contribute to science academically by producing scientific research projects on a national and international scale.

 

As the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Konya Technical University, our main goal is to:

Educate students who can understand the spatial, economic, social, and cultural characteristics of cities and the regions in which they are located; Our goal is to train professionals who:

  • can analyze the processes that reveal these characteristics within the framework of cause-and-effect relationships;
  • can generate policies, projects, and ideas at different scales based on local potentials;
  • do not disregard the sustainability of natural and cultural values ​​while striving to create livable environments;
  • act in accordance with the ethical values ​​of the profession;
  • prioritize the benefit of society over personal interests;
  • work to ensure that marginalized and underprivileged segments of society achieve fairer living conditions;

can actively participate in fields that develop based on technology and its use. As a requirement of planning education, our graduates, who learn to evaluate cities, rural settlements, and community life from different dimensions and gain a different perspective in this respect, are employed in local governments, the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, the Provincial Bank (İLBANK), development agencies, private planning offices, and the real estate development and valuation sectors.

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